{"id":20351,"date":"2019-06-27T19:33:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T19:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=20351"},"modified":"2019-06-27T19:33:12","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T19:33:12","slug":"new-home-old-roof-how-to-inspect-and-consider-roof-repairs-when-buying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/new-home-old-roof-how-to-inspect-and-consider-roof-repairs-when-buying\/","title":{"rendered":"New Home, Old Roof: How To Inspect and Consider Roof Repairs When Buying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<p><span>So you found the perfect house online, and now you\u2019re going to view it with the realtor. It\u2019s exactly the style, size and layout you\u2019re looking for, has lots of natural light, a big yard and is close to work or the school. And it\u2019s available for a great price.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There\u2019s only one problem: the roof hasn\u2019t been replaced in years, and you\u2019re not sure what condition it\u2019s in. It might even have some damage \u2013 and you\u2019re unsure if you should continue with the home purchase or even haggle a new price to cover repairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Here\u2019s a few tips and important points to keep an eye out for and consider when making this hefty decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Get That Roof Inspected<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>First things first, you need to have the roof thoroughly inspected. Even if it shows <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.democratandchronicle.com\/story\/sponsor-story\/comprehensive-mold-management\/2017\/09\/08\/homeowners-know-these-unseen-causes-roof-damage\/105350286\/\"><span>no visible signs<\/span><\/a><span> of external damage, there could be all kinds of problems (rot, leaks, mildew) underneath the shingles and in the underlayment and flashing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you\u2019re looking at someone else\u2019s house, you likely won\u2019t be able to just climb around their roof and see what\u2019s up yourself. You\u2019ll need to ask your realty agent to look or get the roof <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/estrellaroofing.com\/\"><span>inspected professionally<\/span><\/a><span> \u2013 if the seller hasn\u2019t already gone ahead and had that done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>(If the house is For Sale By Owner, you never know \u2013 they might be willing to show you around themselves).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When the Inspection Comes Back: What Kind of Damage is It?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>If your or the seller has gone ahead and gotten a good roof inspection, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of damage there is and how much it will take to fix.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If it\u2019s just minor damage \u2013 a few missing shingles, a leak here or there \u2013 you shouldn\u2019t have much to worry about. Minor fixes can be done easily for not a lot of money and obviously shouldn\u2019t affect your home-buying decision too greatly. You might need a few new shingles \u2013 which are super easy to put on \u2013 and some new flashing, underlayment or cement. Easy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, if the leak is small, but you can\u2019t find where it\u2019s coming from\u2026you might have a problem. Buy the home with this kind of leak and you really have zero idea of how much it\u2019s going to cost to replace. It could just be quick fix, like above\u2026or you could uncover some huge water damage underneath and find yourself shelling out thousands of dollars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If this is the case when making an offer on a new home, consider it thoroughly and factor it into how much you\u2019re willing to offer\u2026or see if the seller is willing to pay for the repair before closing. You may even need to hire a roofing company to inspect and handle the problem for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Finally, if the roof has any kind of structural damage \u2013 serious rot from an unattended leak \u2013 you may be looking at rebuilding an entire section of the roof<\/b><span>. That\u2019s a pricey repair and should be discussed with your agent thoroughly. It will also likely affect your ability to get financing to buy the home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Who Pays for Roof Repairs?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>The age-old question about roof repairs when buying a new home: who pays for them?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It depends. And it\u2019s up to you to negotiate with the seller to find a solution that works you. If the repairs are substantial and are going to make or break the deal, the seller may be willing to cover the cost of repairs in order to make the sale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If the roof damage is relatively minor and inexpensive to fix, they might also be willing to just do it and save you the headache upon moving in\u2026but it might also just be easier to get them done yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Whatever agreement you settle on, remember to work with your agent and attorney to ensure all legal bases and contingencies are covered.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What if the Roof is Just Old (But Still In Good Condition)?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>This is also a very common situation when looking at older homes \u2013 especially in temperate climates. Roofs with good maintenance and care can last decades. Sometimes, the home you\u2019re looking at may have an older roof nearing the end of its lifespan that is still in great shape; it\u2019s functional and no repairs are needed. However, it will need to be replaced a few years down the road to keep the home in great shape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In this case, it\u2019s worth negotiating with the seller to find a pricepoint and agreement that works for all. They may balk at the idea of paying for a new roof themselves if it\u2019s still in such good shape\u2026but you and your agent should be able to find an agreement that takes the age of the roof into consideration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So you found the perfect house online, and now you\u2019re going to view it with the realtor. It\u2019s exactly the style, size and layout you\u2019re looking for, has lots of natural light, a big yard and is close to work<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/new-home-old-roof-how-to-inspect-and-consider-roof-repairs-when-buying\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":20352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[7,700],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":null,"_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/New-Home-Old-Roof-How-To-Inspect-and-Consider-Roof-Repairs-When-Buying-.jpg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/new_home__old_roof__how_to_inspect_and_consider_roof_repairs_when_buying","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20351"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20353,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20351\/revisions\/20353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20351"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=20351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}